The town of Buesaco lies on a ridge, high in the Andes mountains, in the department of Nariño. We
purchased coffees from seven different smallholder producers farming in the surrounding slopes and
townships- namely La Unión, Beurrecos, and Aponte- and blended these lots together to make this lovely
community lot, reflective of the region’s high elevation, unique climates, and of the honey processing. The
three Andean mountain ranges converge in Nariño, creating many very high-altitude farms with fertile,
rich soils. The relative difficulty of access and historical isolation of these farms means that producers in
the region have historically not used many chemical inputs- it’s a long and difficult journey to move inputs
from town out to their farms. Most producers retain natural ground cover for temperate soil temperatures,
and native shade trees and food crops fill out the farms. The high elevations produce cool, dry
microclimates which lend themselves to slower cherry maturation times, allowing for complex sugar
development and bright acidity in the cup.

This coffee blends seven producers’ coffees together. Husband and wife duo Nilson and Lida Cielo farm in
the outskirts of Buesaco, and Lida Cielo’s sister Edilma’s farm is just down the road from theirs. Father and daughter Fidencio and Francy farm in Arboleda, north of Buesaco. Fabian farms outside of Aponte
(though for structural safety reasons, he’s had to move to Buesaco). Finally, Yorgeny farms outside of La
Unión.

PROCESSING
There’s been a bit of a craze for honey-processed coffees around Nariño. Some of this comes from the
town of Aponte, which is located almost entirely on top of a seismic fault- earthquakes have actively
shifted the ground, causing the whole town to sink into the earth. Entire sections of the town have had to
be relocated, and many producers have had to make new homes. Because of the ongoing seismic activity,
water has not been reliable in Aponte, and some producers there have culturally shifted to doing honey
processed coffees- meaning that they de-pulp the coffees, but don’t use water to wash them- the coffees
just go straight out to dry. As green coffee buyers’ came to enjoy this profile, other producers in the region
began to process their coffee similarly in hopes of finding international homes for their coffees as well.